Beside the seaside beside the sea

We decided last week that we needed to get away from it all just for a day. Iv'e been doing lots of extra hours at work and Mr. H has been doing lots of training at work (he trains others to drive fork lift trucks along with his other fun police health and safety duties)

We could hear the call of the sea so we set the alarm for stupid o clock Sunday morning, threw our wellies in the boot and headed on up to North Yorkshire, to a favourite little place of ours....... you guessed it..... Whitby!

An added bonus to our trip......a car boot YAY!
unfortunately it was pants : (
however I did find this amongst the tat

The weather forecast promised us sunshine and sunshine it did!

We walked along the beach from Whitby to Sandsend, stopping at The Hart for lunch and some much needed liquid refreshment before walking back to Whitby, the beach was quite busy with dog walkers but Bruce behaved himself impeccably.

We planned to walk up the steps to the Abbey but after the massive lunch and then tea and cake here we just couldn't manage it this time, so instead The Hotchpotch boys had a game of crazy golf while I sat in the car overlooking the sea.
Obviously I didn't leave the house without my crochet hook and a ball of wool so I managed to finish the final granny square I needed for my camper blanket.

Of course I couldn't leave without a visit to Dotty about Vintage
I was amazed that Trudie remembered me from my last visit

A few of the spare pennies were spent in the slots before we shared fish and chips on the harbour front, then home in time for Downton.
As Pop Larkin would say...........PERFICK .

OOOH nearly forgot

these are the bits of china I picked up from the table top sale last Saturday

a pretty set of five trios

another set of five trios and a cake plate


and these are what I found a the jumble sale
I already have one of these tupperware bowls but this looks like new and the flour/sugar shaker is something I have actually needed for ages as my old one has a loose top which isn't ideal!

Here's to another great weekend ahead

Happy Friday All

: )

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

Time has been a little tight over the last few weeks but I have managed to put a few new bits and bobs in my Etsy shop (blatant self promotion I know) just in time for dare I say it....Christmas!

If you look at this picture from a distance it looks as though the cheeks are evil eyes hehehe!

how cute are the little envelopes containing the beads and buttons.

Speaking of the C word, I spotted these at a local antique centre a couple of weekends ago for £4, they will adorn our tree along with our ever growing collection.

It doesn't half feel strange talking about Christmas when we have had such glorious weather recently. I found these photos on the camera that Mr. H took a couple of weeks ago

As you can probably see our garden is seriously lacking in colour at this time of year, (this is something we are working on) but boy you should see it in Spring.

Teacups and Teacakes

After what can only be described as The week from Hell, it was lovely to get home on Friday and finally kick off my converse and plonk my backside on the sofa with a cuppa and this very nice publication.

Some lovely ideas that I'm itching to try...as soon as Iv'e finished at least one of the other 101 projects I already have on the go!

Brucie was booked in at the groomers this morning but in between dropping him off and collecting him I managed to squeeze in a quick mooch around at the local table top sale where I picked up not one but two sets of lovely china, and what I think is a hat pin holder. (pictures to follow)

Then a more more relaxed stroll around Elsecar Antique Centre where these caught my eye and subsequently ended up in the boot of the car along with the china.........

Before finally risking life and limb at a local jumble sale where I bagged a tupperware bowl and a plastic sugar shaker (again pictures coming I promise!)

The rest of the day was spent doing the less enjoyable tasks i.e laundry,cleaning,ironing school uniform blah blah blah.
However tomorrow is another day and a little jaunt to North Yorkshire is on the cards.....exactly what I need to blow away the cobwebs....now which to choose milk or plain

enjoy the rest of your weekend
: )

Gorgeous Giveaway

Helloooo
just wanted to remind anyone who hasn't already done so to get yourself over to Vintage Sheet Addict's blog and enter her fabulous giveaway.
Chop Chop as you only have until this weekend to be in with a chance.

Special delivery

Our Postie is a very nice chap at the best of times but even more so when he pushes treasures like these through the letterbox.
First to arrive this week

My copy of Country Living Magazine. I keep threatening to cancel my subscription but somehow never seem to have the heart to go through with it. (I did however sell a small mountain of old copies at a car boot recently)

along with the magazine was a very special envelope containing these

So excited as I have never been before and I love Harrogate.
mr. H decided we should make a weekend of it so we are staying overnight here.
We've stayed before and really enjoyed it and it's only a couple of minutes walk away from Harlow Carr so that will be Saturday sorted.

Then Tuesday a lovely little package arrived

beautiful fabric from Sew La La with a few little buttons thrown in for good measure, I will definitely be popping back very soon.


Wednesday morning I collected these from my local sorting office.

I must say the book is not quite up to Cath's usual standard but I love it nontheless and I can't wait to get cracking on Stanley and the little deer, however I will be using my own lovely soft felt rather than the cheapy acrylic stuff that came with the book (I will be putting some of this lovely felt in my Etsy shop very soon)

I love the diary and have already started adding the birthdays and can't wait to start using it.

Sadly by Thursday the only thing gracing my door mat on my return home from work was a bank statement and a takeaway menu for a rather dodgy looking kebab shop!

No thrifty finds again this week as I have been doing full time hours at work but I'll leave you with this, a little something I picked up for 10p from the jumble sale a few weeks ago that I'd forgotten to show you

a gorgeous candlestick that claims to be a present from Skegness.

Have a great weekend
: )

Hanky Panky

I had every intention of getting up early and hot footing it to the local car boot but do you know what... I was way too tired, sadly no haul today so as promised these are the beautiful silk handkerchiefs I picked up last week

Downton is just about to start so I'm off
enjoy the rest of your weekend : )

Well I never

OOOH Iv'e been tagged!
Thank you Rebecca at Meadow Daisy for including me, this is really exciting as I have never been tagged before...I'm not quite sure what to do but hey I'm up for giving it a go!


The 11 questions tag

The Rules are as follows:
- Each person tagged must post 11 random facts about themselves
- They must answer the 11 questions posted by the previous blogger
- They must create 11 more questions to ask the bloggers they tag
- They must tag 11 blogs with less than 200 followers
- The bloggers must be informed that they have been tagged


11 Random facts about me

1. I once appeared on The Rolf Harris show (I have the photo to prove it!)

2. I am an only child

3. I am scared of the dark

4. I can't walk in high heels

5. I have only learned to crochet in the last year

6. I can't watch horror films as they give me nightmares

7. I have a shark phobia

8. I hate everything about celery

9. I drink far too much tea

10.I like my feet tickling

11.I love camping


Questions for me from Rebecca

1. Summer or winter?
Ooh tricky but I think it has to be winter as I am left disappointed by summer and the total lack of sunshine.

2. What makes you laugh?
mainly my husband.

3. If you could only eat one food for the rest of time, what would it be?
without a doubt it would have to be chocolate

4. Describe your perfect evening....
Friday evening, P.J's on, candles lit, cup of tea in hand watching gardeners world (I am a girl of simple pleasures!)

5. What were your favourite subjects at school?
Art and History

6. Do you have any pets?
yes I have a Bedlington Terrier who goes by the name of Bruce Willis and until recently I had two chickens, Dame Judi and Bobby, sadly they were taken from our garden.

7. What are your favourite hobbies?
mainly crochet and gardening if I want to relax and watching live music when I'm feeling loud and lively!

8. If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
I'm not really one for air travel these days so I would say Dunwich beach because it's so beautiful and because we spent many a happy hour there this summer.

9. What is your favourite book?
I don't think I really have a favourite book *gasps
 but I did love reading Atonement.

10. Where is your favourite place to eat
I'm torn between Wiveton Hall as their chocolate brownies are to die for and The White Swan Inn at Pickering where I had the best steak  and chips I have EVER tasted.

11. What do you think about the most.... the past, the present or the future?
OOOH another tricky one....again I am torn between the past and the future, I'm too busy living in the present to have time to think about it.
I do hark back to the past quite a lot, but I think I would have to say the future. I'm always thinking about what I have to do tomorrow or next week or even next month so yeah I would definitely say the future.


My questions for you

1. Radio 1 or classic fm

2. favourite tipple

3.If you had one superpower what would it be

4.What would you do with one million pounds

5.  all time favourite song

6. your idea of a perfect Sunday

7. tea or coffee

8. If you could invite one person over for dinner who would you choose

9. What's the best piece of advice you have ever been given

10. What one word best describes you

11. What infuriates you


I am tagging the following blogs

Aunt Jane's Attic

Shortbread & Ginger

miss Beatrix

Josie Mary

Saltaire Daily Photo

Two bones and a bagel

teacups and bunting

Vintage Sheet Addict

I love Heavens to Betsy

The Queens Drawers

Three of Hearts


Well that was fun!
: )

Chasing my tail

I love blogging much more than I thought I would and if I could I would do it much more often.
Time is really tight at the moment and work is very demanding due to a member of staff leaving after only a month, and as there was only the two of us anyway you can see my problem, basically I am running the cafe single-handedly.
I can cope with the hard work, it's the lack of time to myself I am finding difficult.

I love having my own quiet time, the time between unlocking my front door, kicking off my shoes and switching on the kettle, to the time my boys come bursting through the front door, laughing, joking and generally making a right old racket.
Don't get me wrong I'm all for a bit of noise and liveliness but I really really love time in my own company, even if only for an hour.
Time to do my own thing whether it be catching up with my favourite blogs, picking up the old crochet hook or magazine or just jotting in one of my many notebooks (did I mention I am addicted to notebooks???)
Up to now I have been a very lucky girl and I would even go as far as to say I have been spoiled, my work has always allowed for 'me' time.

What I suppose I really want to say is I'm frustrated, frustrated that I'm not getting as much time as I'd like, time to do all the things I like to do. Hope that makes sense.


Anyway going back a week or so now, I was lucky enough to get a table at Mary's Marvellous vintage and craft market, I didn't sign up for the last one in August because I was off on my holibobs and I knew I wouldn't have time to make much, to be honest I didn't have time to make anything new for this fair but I did have a few new vintagey bits and bobs to add to the mix so all was not lost.
I really enjoy this fair as it has such a lovely atmosphere and I have met some great people over the last year and made some lovely friends along the way.

I didn't have a practice run this time and decided to wing it.

I had 10 minutes to spare after setting up so had a quick whizz around before the doors opened.
There were two new stalls in particular that stood out for me.

I just love the combination of the illustrations and the gorgeous colours

I immediately fell in love with this stall, it just had that full to the brim look but not overly cluttered.

I loved the badges and mirrors and I became very envious when The lovely Debs who's stall it was told me she had one of those proper big old badge making thingies.
We got to chatting as you do and it turns out I am an avid reader of her blog Two bones and a bagel, although she freely admits her blogging mojo had left her for a while, she promised she would try to get back into the swing of it.


It was quite a busy day, probably due to it being freshers week but I didn't sell that much as students don't really buy my stuff, they come  for vintage clothing more than anything ( I didn't sell the shoes)
I don't think it was just me either, a few people were saying they hadn't been busy but that's how it goes sometimes I suppose.
My lovely friend Adele popped down and spent most of the day with me, she helped me run the stall and generally did a fantastic job of cheering me up with tales of her recent holiday, she is exactly the tonic I needed as she is just one of those people who always has a smile on her face and an hilarious story to tell, we spent most of the time scoffing, cackling like two old biddies and plotting a fabulous idea we have which involves us dressing up as Margot (Leadbetter) and Audrey (Fforbes- Hamilton).....that's all I'm going to say for the moment.


Sunday can only mean one thing..... I must admit after yesterday's early start I didn't really feel like getting up but by Jove  I'm glad I did.

Just feast your eyes on this lovely lot

fabulous glasses perfect for a little snifter!

a very pretty tea towel

these were my two most extravagant purchases at £2.50 each

I also picked up some beautiful silk hankies that I will try to photograph for next time.

However I'm saving the best for last......

I can just picture it now....me sunning myself with a glass of champers in one hand and a crochet hook in the other!!!
All this beauty (although Mr. H would beg to differ) for £1.50


As I can't see myself parting with any of this little lot any time soon, I will have to make room for it by putting some of my own stuff on the next vintage fair.

I have big plans to get things done over the next few weeks despite the lack of time
I aim to get my Etsy shop re-stocked with lots of lovely things in time for Christmas, I also want to have a good old clear out so will hopefully get a few bits and bobs on E bay and I want to make a start on my kitchen cupboard, not to mention making the Christmas cake, I usually do this around September so I really need to get my skates on, like I said lots to do.... so little time.